The invention is directed to a power source especially designed for a plasma device, such as a plasma arc cutter or a plasma torch. This type of operation requires high voltages, often in excess of 400-1600 volts. Consequently, a power source for this use has generally involved robust transformer based input power supplies. In recent years, the plasma arc cutting industry has gradually transitioned to high switching speed inverters that have better performance and lower weight than bulky, transformer based power supplies. High switching speed inverters normally involve a series of paired switches for switching current in opposite directions through the primary of an output transformer. The secondary winding of the transformer is connected to a rectifier so the output signal of the inverter based power source is generally a DC voltage. Consequently, an input DC signal to the high switching speed inverter is converted to a DC output signal by use of an output transformer and an output rectifier. Inverter based power sources is standard technology for the welding industry since the early 1990's and has been the subject of many patents for inverter power sources specifically designed for use in welding. Blankenship U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,157; Blankenship U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,175; Lai U.S. Pat. No. 5,406,051; Thommes U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,741; Kooken U.S. Pat. No. 5,991,169; Stava U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,810; Church U.S. Pat. No. 6,055,161; and Moriguchi U.S. Pat. No. 6,278,080 are all examples of inverters using an output transformer and rectifier as now used extensively in the electric arc welding field. These patents are incorporated by reference herein as background technology showing the type of high switching speed inverter based power source to which the invention is directed. Such welding power sources are normally converted to high voltage devices when using the power source for plasma arc cutters. The origin of this type of high efficiency power source is low power circuits developed many years ago for lighting and other fixed loads, where the output current is quite low, such as less than 10 amperes. Through the years the welding industry has converted existing low current, high speed inverter based sources to welding power sources with output currents in the general range of 200-300 amperes. These welding power sources were routinely converted to plasma cutter use. The conversion of low capacity power sources into power sources capable of creating output currents necessary for welding and output voltages for plasma cutting involved development work generated at great expense over several years. This development work has resulted in inverter based power sources designed for electric arc welding that have high output current capabilities within maximum currents of 500-600 amperes. Indeed, The Lincoln Electric Company of Cleveland, Ohio has marketed an inverter based power source for electric arc welding having an output current capacity in the general range of 500-600 amperes. This high current power source was also used for plasma arc cutting, but it was not possible to obtain up to 1000-1500 volts for plasma arc cutters without regressing to the bulky transformer based power sources.